All Power to the People (Right On!)

The first three words in the constitution are “We the People”.   So those who claim that Lennon’s song (popular March 1971) of “Power to the People” is somehow a subversive or communist expression are just willfully ignorant.  We don’t have protest marches any more, because they won’t do any good.   Back in the day - - it was the progressive left that read the book Rules for Radicals.  These were simple, no nonsense strategies written by Sol Allinsky of garnering success in your actions.  This is why I switched my sentaments from Barock to Hillary in 2008 because Hillary understood that it’s not what you promise the people, but what you are actually able to delivery through government processes, that counts.  So certain rules are non violence and don’t break the law committing violent offences.  Only ask for what is physically possible for the government to deliver.  Work incrementally.  First gain one high percentage goal, and then the following goals will now with public opinion, be easier to obtain.  Make the enemy live up to his OWN speech and own stated rules of conduct.  Work within your “comfort zone”.  And whenever possible, work OUTSIDE the “comfort zone” of your adversaries.  Don’t back down.  Now when it came to “Sunday, bloody Sunday” there was a violent push back by the government, but our side eventually prevailed.  One thing “the rest of us” had going for us in back then was Inflation.  You note that Inflation is one of the things conspicuously missing from the past thirty years of economic history.  This is because the Rich hate inflation, because it causes their capital to erode.  Back in the day- - when inflation was twelve percent or higher, Credit Card Interest ranged from eighteen to twenty four percent.  Now that inflation (at least by government tally) is one and a half percent- - credit card interest is- - eighteen to twenty-four percent.  But the unkindest cut of all is back in the day- - that interest you paid on credit card debt was DEDUCTABLE on your federal income tax.  By and large- - nobody’s federal income tax rates have gone up since the original days of the Bush tax cuts.  We all were paying a whole lot more in taxes twenty years ago.  Only the one percent is impacted now, with those who earn significantly MORE than four hundred thousand dollars per year.  Yet they speak with such a loud megaphone given their millions- - their voice drowns out the rest of us, and they speak as though they were “We the people” when they aren’t.  Hopefully you are beginning to see how this all ties in together with Citizen’s United and all.  More people vote for democrats, and yet republicans boast of a “landslide victory” with the lowest voter turn-out since the darkest days of World War II.   We can’t afford another “Edmond Petis Bridge” today.  We have neither the inclination nor the odds of success that they did back on March 7^th 1965.   Back in those days they could sing Bob Dylan songs as anthems.  We don’t have that today.  Most of the protest songs anybody even KNOWS the words to today go back to the thirties and forties.  It’s not a rosey picture I’m painting.  Some say, and I’m beginning to suspect their half serious, that the Blue States are the ones who should secede from the Union and form a Republic where our values are extolled, and real history is taught in our schools.  Perhaps that’s a pipe dream.  We need to “think outside the box” but first we have to know what the “box” is, and how said Box is holding us back.  But that’s a lecture for another day.  Hopefully I’ll be up to that soon.

The Rude Pundit, as in Rudepundit at blogspot.com - - wants to tell us about this incredibly clanky and noisy machine that belches out smoke and gas and a horrible stench.  This machine is the anti Hillary machine that the right wing first brought out in the nineties.  With it they failed to impeach the President, but hopefully they left a bad enough taste in everyone's mouth that they would have no taste for a Hillary Clinton run at the Presidency.  This is how I felt initially in 2008, even though I eventually changed my mind.  Of course he almost argues that this "fake scandal" stuff was almost the initial volly and failing that, they decided to form FOX news instead.  FOX news back then haven't devolved into the state of moral depravity they are today.  Since Rude Pundit writes for Google, I thought it best not to quote from him directly, but I did past the thing into my own Word document.   I recommend you all read what he has to say.

OK justice Ginsburg gave a simple and highly clarifying example about this whole State verses Federal healthcare exchange thing.   Justice Ginsburg tells Amanda to write a memo and for Elizabeth to edit that memo and check it over for spelling, punctuation and content.  However if Amanda feels she’s unable to comply with the Justice’s request, then Will is to write the memo.  The question now is - - - is Elizabeth still responsible for editing the memo.  One wise acre responded to this example by saying “But who shall Will say wrote the memo he is handing to Elizabeth?  Who wrote the memo is not material in this example, any more than whose name is on the government subsidy check- - who is the check signed by- - is relevant.  The important fact that after “such memo” is written- - Elizabeth is responsible to edit the thing.  In other words, an inherent part of Amanda’s instruction to Will when she passes off the assignment is “After you are done with this memo, give it to Elizabeth for checking over.”  Capish?

Republicans have been saying that the “average growth of new jobs” should be higher than they were- three years ago.  Now pushing three hundred thousand new jobs per month is becoming commonplace.  Keep in mind this was during one of the worst weather months we’ve ever had.  All things being equal- - spring will see accelerated economic growth from these levels as construction kicks in.  All segments of the economy from manufacturing to service industries- - to professional and tech people- - experience job growth.  5.5% is still by no means “full employment”.  Traditionally that level is reached at four percent.  Also only 62% of those in the “labor force” are employed.  There are six million “involuntarily” part time people, who would like to be full time, and that figure has remained steady.  There are 2.7 million people who are “on the cusp” meaning they look for employment SOME of the time- - who are Not counted in the unemployment figures.  Two thirds of the American people according to a Pew poll,- - believe that the government economic growth policies favor the rich.  This figure is still a majority at 55% when only republicans are measures, so the belief crosses party lines.  The Dow Jones Industrials went down 275 points today because it’s feared that the Federal Reserve will reduce the supply of what amounts to “free money” for the very rich.  Of course what the Fed does won’t affect anybody else because we still are stuck with our 18% credit card debt.

One Norman Goldman caller says we need to get sixteen year olds interested in Civics.  If you are a Junior now, next year you’ll have Government civics, and by the time you are done with that year of education you can get all of your friends involved so that when you are old enough to vote at eighteen you can vote for Clinton or whoever in November of 2016.  But these Republican state governors are going to fight you tooth and nail.  So all of the school teachers out there listening to Norm’s show, need to heed this guy’s message and get those students motivated.  I’d like to see a whole new wave of eighteen year olds voting democratic.

It seems that Wisconsin is the next state to adopt so called “Right to Work” laws.  It’s the 25^th state to have such laws now.  Unions stand tough.  If an employer brought out a deal that featured random drug testing,  merit pay, and an Open Shop option, the Union representative would reject all three out of hand.  The theory is if you “hang tough” you eventually end up with a better deal.  This was President Obama’s mistake with various bills.  He gave away the farm on the opening negotiation volley.  I will say that if we do get unemployment before five percent, this market force along will push businesses to offering more hourly pay to keep their workers. You see what business has to gain now by “Right to Work” laws.  Scott Walker led the charge on this issue.  Right to work states are not a good thing for workers, and anybody who believes they are a “better deal” for the workers are just plain ignorant, or they have been brainwashed by Fox news.  Of course Union Shops have fewer work accidents and pay significantly more than “Open Shops” which are Union optional.  “Union optional” is as unacceptable as “Clothing optional” beaches, if you know what I mean.  Today’s young people have a more challenging task facing them when they come of age because vacation time is slashed from what we had when we were young, and “fringe benefits” are nonexistent.  

It's Not a Question of "Just Getting Used to It"

Here’s a trilogy of good news stories.  The family of the slain Michael Brown is going to file a civil suit - - charging “wrongful death” against the Ferguson police department.  There were “other ways short of deadly force of dealing with the suspect”.   And file this under “pressing your luck” but could I then ask for a change of venue do to the emotionally charged nature of the community?   Or looking at it another way- - I’d be perfectly happy picking from a two-thirds black jury pool- - - but what kind of a bias judge are we going to get?   If the charges leveled by Eric Holder are true- - then the whole system is corrupt including the courts.  But to disagree with Fugelsang, I have no doubt that given a fair jury selection and a fair trial- - it’s a slam dunk for a wrongful death conviction.   Next item is Wringling Brothers phasing out their elephant acts.  Elephants are perhaps the number one item people come to the circus to see.  To just “allow the current class of performing elephants to retire” and not replace then- - it is a little sad and naustalgic.  However I guess the better goal is to improve animal rights.   There was a roomer that Andrew Jackson’s picture is going to be retired from the twenty dollar bill.  He’s got one of those faces that sticks with you.  Of course if you’re a Charokee- - and I have a little Cherokee blood in me- - Andrew Jackson is associated with the “trail of tears” to Oklahoma, like the “death march to Battan” or something.   Personally I think Cher is the perfect candidate to replace Jackson on the twenty dollar bill.  It’s about time we had a woman on our money, after all we husbands have been complaining forever that it’s the women who spend it all anyway.

There are theologians, and there are propagandists.  Martin Luther, based on a lot of the hostile things he’s said about Jewish people, might be called a propagandist.  There ARE real theologians out there.  Bertrin Russel is a theologian.  The maharishi is a theologian.  Mohamed was a theologian.  Paul Tillich, Soren Kirkigard and St Thomas Acquinas are theologians.  However some of the Christian “founding fathers” aren’t theologians but propagandists, such as Justin Martyr, Ireneus, Tertulian, and chiefest among them, Eusubeus- - those are propagandists.  Their role is not to talk about or to describe “God” but rather to say “Why our way of thinking and living is better than yours”.   People from Justin Martyr to Chuck Smith have highly egocentric writing.  If your writing is punctuated with constant rants and attacks about various specific individuals, then you are a propagandist.  The more virlent you are about other specific individuals, the less likely it is that you actually "have your eyes on God", if you know what I mean.  They say the best way to train bankers looking for counterfeit bills is to show them nothing but the Real Thing, so that they get to know that through and through.  Then it's an issue you don't even have to debate.  Many issues I can agree with John Calvin on.  I too believe in God being omnicient, omnipresent and all powerful and "totally sovreign" in the absolute sense of the word "sovreign".  I believe that God is 'immutable' or another word for unchanging. However - - I myself am much more of a propagandist than a theologian.  My job is to persuade or - - propagandize.   My job is to put forth a point of view.  I am not a deep "Cosmological thinker" if you will.

The body releases constant stress hormones that act like a poison to people who are continually with employment or job, and most likely marital problems.  Therefore having a decent safety net is “good for the mental health” of society.  It isn’t just a question of “getting used to anything” like “getting used to the New Normal”.  People on SSI and Social Security are constantly falling further and further behind because their payments don’t keep up with inflation just as poor reading students fall further and further behind their classmates in school.  I got so fed up with Jerry Brown and his “crazy train” to nowhere- - which may never be built and will suffer from countless ‘cost overruns” - -and also these free Apple computers they hand out to LA school kids they only lose or damage.  So I find no solice at all in Browns touted “reserve fund for a rainy day” because that money should be going to the poor right NOW in the form of renters tax rebates and the like.  I have fifteen dollars in drug co-pay expenses this month- - and add to that the possible cost of a haircut for Easter and also being “in the hole” both with Tess and with the Bank.   I would say to my family “name your terms” in terms of getting Money for not smoking.  Should I throw away all my cigarette lighters and do you want to inspect my drawers to see that I haven’t got packs of cigarettes socked away?  Unemployment is down to 5.5% and that is a good thing.  295,000 new jobs were added.  And we are constantly being told that manufacturing jobs are returning to the United States, perhaps because China is having their own economic problems.  Their own people have found a voice now and are demanding better wages, and the like.  I remind you that once upon a time when the unemployment was 5.4% under President Bush ten years ago, Larry Elder carried on about how well the economy was doing.  I didn’t believe that then, and I don’t believe it now.  What say you?

David Petrayas won’t go to prison for giving classified government secrets to his mistress.  But instead he will just be slapped with a forty thousand dollar fine and probation.  Of course fines should be punitive meaning that they actually discourage the conduct they are put there as punishment for.  These fines polluting corporations pay ought to be hiked at least by a factor of ten to be at all realistic.  Instead it’s merely a “cost of doing business”.  Thom Hartman is on right now saying if you are pulled over in Denmark or one of those countries- - you might be fined sixty thousand for a speeding ticket- - if the authorities find out you can afford it.  So why can’t the Ferguson people just fine people like Charles Koch a hundred thousand for speeding in their town next time?   First of all being a mathematician I differentiate between a geometric progression and a logarithmic progression.  The logarithmic is the steeper of the two progressions, because if you square everything- - the percentage increase will progressively Decrease - - - as you continue the squaring process.  Thomas Jefferson is said to have said “We might have to resort to some sort of logarithmic tax on the rich, if they are getting too powerful such that the democratic process is subverted”.  We know that the founding armies didn’t want standing armies so that’s why they passed the second amendment as a means of having a peacetime militia without the necessity of standing armies in peace time.   The founding fathers feared concentrations of Power in whatever form.  Even KEIB’s own quotation of Madison said “No one with a great deal of power ought to be trusted without reserve”.

The magnitude of what the Clinton Administration did in 1996 with the communacations act passed that year by congress- - - is something that has ripple effects in society all the time.  The damage from that one Act can hardly be fathomed as far as cheapening the integrity of network news departments and the like.  According to Thom, “Comcast” is a “deeply conservative” corporation down there in Florida, which is now the major owner of PMSNBC.   If I were ever to win at power ball or whatever, giving a thousand dollars would be a snap for me.  I’d probably give a thousand to Stephanie and a thousand to Thom Hartmann and a thousand to Bill Press, and have meet and greet lunches with all three of them.  I have no need of that BBQ apron, but I’d be happy to take a bunch of Thom Hartman’s books on a complementary basis.  It was either ABC or NBC news I was watching last night which falsely stated that Hillary Clinton was in violation of federal law “for all the time she was at the state department” doing those private E mails.  From what I’ve heard it seems that security on Government sites is poor, and Hillary may have been doing us all a national security favor in having the server in private hands.   But this network news broadcast was really going after Hillary as though this E mail infraction were really serious or something.   Networks will never talk about net neutrality or wall street corruption or bastardized news broadcasts or massive corruption of the FDA.

AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE EXCHANGE COUNCIL    ALEC

Remember that accronym!

Uninformed People Are Just Ignorant of the Odds

One blog states that the average person is 55 times as likely of being killed by a police officer than by a terrorist, presumably an Islamic terrorist.  The range nation wide was in the three hundreds, but better data suggests that 928 Americans were killed by police officers last year.  Left unstated was how many of those at the time were in the process of comitting a crime.  You're more likely to have your brain eaten out by the mad cow bacteria or whatever than you are of being killed by a terrorist.  And yet we see police as the good guys and terrorists are imputed an almost supernatural power to strike us down at any time.  Stalin said the one death was a tragedy; a million deaths was a statistic.  So now two Americans are beheaded and presumably those are grounds to go to war with Islam for the next thirty years.  Because that's how long "they say" that it will take to defeat this Islamic mennace.  I don't know.  If more join ISIS than we are able to kill in the same period, even with all our bombing- - some pragmatist needs to come along and point out the fact that we are losing the war with ISIS, just as Roman Emperor Diocletian was losing the war against Christians, regardless of how many of them he killed.  And make no mistake about it.  We've heard it from on high.  There IS no difference between ANY form of Islam be it ISIS or Al Qaeda, or the Iranian Shiites or the Syrian Alawites or whoever.  They're all working for the same thing;  they're all working for Islam competing for who wins the "game of Thrones" or however Netenyahoo referred to it.  According to Netenyahoo "The enemy of my enemy is still my enemy".  So to Netenyahoo it doesn't matter whether or not Iran is fighting along with us to defeat ISIS.  I'd like to know which four nations that Iran has "taken over".  I've heard even liberals claim that Iran has "essentially taken over Iraq".  I personally would like some independent confirmation on that and not just take their word for it.  But as lopsided as well as revealing current statistics are, most likely they will get worse as we continue to progress to a full on police state.  What was fiction back in 1948 is almost a "behind the times" novel now, since many of us can foresee a time when "1984" wasn't so bad considering to how bad things are REALLY going to get.  (Selah)

Los Angeles had their elections yesterday and two things are apparent.  Though the turnout was only a plaultry ten percent- - those who did bother to come to the polls voted all the incumbents back in, we are told.  The other thing is that these incumbents will be rewarded with a longer term this outing because the voters also voted to have the Citywide elections on even numbered years, when presumably more voters will bother to come out to the polls and vote.  I am among those who thinks this isn't a good idea because we are so inundated on even numbered election years as it is with all manner of TV and radio commercials, and increasingly long ballots on these years.  Why tack on a bunch of other stuff to these already long ballots?   I can picture the average voter out there getting "voter fatigue" and not even looking at the local races.

So how many lies has President Obama told?  How many is he telling now?  The whole thing with Putin and "Russian agression" is problematic.  Some accuse President Obama of telling a string of lies every time he speaks on the subject of Russian agression and the Ukrainian war.  A lot of my recent jabs at Vladimir Putin have not been "backstopped" by my friends on the Other Side, if you follow my drift.  Why are they suddenly going silent?  Do they know something?   OK I guess some things like Crimea as in Crimea a River (ha ha) are maybe just a little justified.  Crimea has only belonged to Ukraine since 1954 and before to this it was a part of Russia for over two hundred years.  We hear that ninety-odd percent of the people of Ukraine favor being a part of the Russian Empire, or whatever they're calling themselves these days.  This same writer also wants us to know that Obama lied like a rug when it came to his health care roll out as far back as May 2007 when he first came out with his plan "For universal health care either with public funding, or else some private plan".   President Obama justifies his desire for "Obama Care" because he wants "Universal coverage of every American".  And yet only 2.7% more Americans are covered now than there were in 2007.  That's a markedly unimpressive figure.  Of course the President also said that rates could come down to "affordable levels' and that didn't happen.  Many liberals now are almost hoping the whole Affordable Care Act blows up and then we can get serious about single payer.  I guess this Ball fellow in the Johnson administration wanted to lower the rate to fifty five a few years after passage, and then keep lowering it till all Americans were covered.  President Obama is a demogogue wanna be.  He tries to tell people he single handedly "ended the Iraq war" and brags about other accomplishments that blow up in his face.  If I attend another Presidential Library it will be Ronald Reagan's, hopefully while the famous car collection is still there.  I have a feeling all I'd hear at the Obama library would be lies.

Daylight savings time is this weekend, unless someone with any sense changes their minds.  I've actually been enjoying these mornings where we get some sembelence of sunshine before breakfast.  But now all that is going away and it will again be pitch dark when we get up.  Paul Harvey used to talk about how long US farmers traditionally worked.  The farmers got up to milk the cows at 5:30 and some may wonder why they just couldn't sleep in a little and milk the cows at 6:30 instead.  The problem is that the "traditional" farmer got up before dawn and worked all day while he had daylight, and when the sun went down it was the end of the day and he could relax a little after dinner.  He could get out the fiddle and rosin up the bow and have an impromptu hoe down or something.  But now construction workers have unions and they don't work all day but have eight hour shifts- - or make that nine.  I've been around enough outdoor workers to know that they really enjoy taking a full hour for lunch break, and chug down a few beers.  So at three thirty they're done and they've got the light of the rest of the day to do whatever they want in their free time.  I'd like to go back to starting Daylight Savings time on Final Four weekend, if for no other reason than it's easy to remember.

Shedding that Slave-holder Mentality

We need to speak again on this whole notion of “Slave holding and the Christian right” because people like Larry Elder insist that the right wingers were foremost in crusading for civil rights for minorities and don’t have a racist bone in their bodies.  But let’s go to a document Thom Hartmann read on the air this morning.  It was from South Carolina and their reasons for seceding from the Union in December of 1860.   It was because “fourteen northern states have shirked their constitutional duty to round up fugitive slaves”.  They quoted from that passage in the constitution I’d forgotten which says that “Any person to who service is due to another state- when he flees to another state- - shall be returned by that second state on claim of the first state to whom service is due”.   They were very artful in those days in avoiding the word “slave” in the constitution.  Because states like Iowa and Ohio had liberty for slaves statutes where “Even if a slave were part of an insurrection, they would not be delivered up”.  So forget all this “economic exploitation of the South by northern bankers” stuff you hear about.  It was an issue of slaves and slavery.  We now move to the year 1935 which was a very bountiful year in the national congress.  FDR had actually gained seats in congress in the 1934 congressional off year elections, which I rare.  Some of us had hoped Obama would repeat this in 2010 but of course that didn’t happen.  The idea is that people wanted change, and once they got that, they wanted more change at a faster pace.  And that’s what they got from FDR in 1935.  There was the whole OASDI thing (Old Age Survivors and Disability) but also seemingly in one stroke with the passage of the Wagner act, any Business had to go Union if fifty one percent of the workers in that company voted to unionize.  Southerners thought this was horrible because it elevated the Black man in a Union to a status of economic control and power he’d never had in his life before.  So there was this guy named Vance Hughes with his “Christian Liberty” group- - who sought to restore the “Southern way of life” (according to TH)  He labored tirelessly to get the Taft Hartley act passed in 1947 otherwise known as the right to work for less law.  Of course if you will remember (and I didn’t know till literally months ago) that Southern bankers were empowered by the G I bill not to give credit loans to Black men.   Now Scott Walker comes along and claims in last years reelection campaign (according to Hartmann) that he isn’t going after the private Labor Unions but only the government Unions.  Of course he lied because now he’s going after private business too.  Just like he said he had no intention to go after abortion rights in Wisconsin in the campaign, but turns around and does just that.   “Divide and conquer” is still a major weapon and there are people who can be “played” like a violin, still.

Another issue presents itself today.  The Alabama Supreme Court, the Supreme law of that so called "sovreign state" has decreed from On High that "Gay marriages shall not be performed in the state of Alabama".  You know how I feel about gay marriage.  That isn't the issue today.  What we have here is the doctrine of state nullification of Federal Laws.  This is an issue that was resolved "By Force" (the ultimate way of resolving an issue) via the Civil War and the Reconstruction Amendments of the Constitution.  There was a guy we studied in history John C Calhun - - of South Carolina, who was a champion of the doctrine of nullification.  Hence we have in play a major Constitutional Crisis, which needs to be resolved.

The Supreme Court arguments on the State medical exchanges were held this morning.  And it seems Justice Kennedy by the questions he asked-  might be voting to uphold all of the benefits statutes in the Affordable Care Act.   The issue boils down to common sense.  People need to go after the clear intent of a law.  Clearly the intent of the law was that the States as a matter of course (and common sense) would be setting up the State Exchanges.  As it turns out only sixteen states did.  However Norman Goldman just now pointed out the "smoking gun" in the democratic arguments.  Because the law, as long as we're going to word pick- - - says "In the event the States do not set up these prescribed exchanges- - than the Federal Government shall set up such exchange (themselves)"   The words "such exchange" is an anticedent referring BACK to the exchanges that would provide all of the monetary credits.  It's clear as a bell.  The fact that the states that DID set up the exchanges are faring better economically than the ones that didn’t- - isn’t the immediate issue today.   But I didn’t know that the court had a “let it alone” or “Don’t be radical” doctrine.  If there is a line in a law which might tend to invalidate the law- - if possible look for other lines and clauses which would presume that the law was a valid one.  If you find those other line,  the rule of precedence set by the Court itself- - would presume that the law is a valid line- - and those very few words that are questionable- - are taken to be what they are- - a flook of semantics.  So let’s assume that both Justice Roberts and Justice Kennedy are in play on this ruling.  If the odds of either voting for it are fifty percent, than the odds of the law being upheld would thus go to 75%.  Capish?   Keep in mind if Scelia and Allito and Thomas get their way - - Insurance Companies will be the ones forced to "Eat The Loss" in that realm of unexpected consequences.  This is because all of the healthy people won't be able to afford insurance any more and will drop out because most of them are young and healthy.  Hence what we have left are the oldest and sickest segments of the population, which will provide an unsustainable premium payment base.

In terms of the Department of Justice report on Ferguson the Adam & the Ants song comes to mind, “They cut you in half- then they give you a band-aid.”   Because after denying that there was criminal violation of Michael Brown’s civil rights (something for which there is ample proof) they go on to talk about all of the incidents of racial bias in the Ferguson Police Department.  Let's contemplate what this means.  Eric Holder claimed that "The Facts" do not warrent any further criminal charges.  Next question.  What are the facts?  HE never told us what "The facts" are, any more than Buchannon or the rest of them.  All he said was "Misunderstandings come about due to polarization in the community".  That answer won't cut it for me.  What "Facts" I say again- - compelled him to come to the conclusion he did?   He also said "The facts as they appeared in the media led us to the wrong conclusion".   Nobody just makes a statement like that and then offers nothing to back it up- - that is - unless they're just blowing smoke out their ass.  Not one witness was cited by Eric Holder in the few minutes I listened.  But we got the icing on the cake, even if we didn't get the cake itself.  Of particular note- - Black cars are searched a lot more often than Whites -  but despite this- - more contraband is actually recovered from White cars.   Think about that one.  Of course what’s true of Ferguson is true for half the police departments in the land.   If you’re Black you are going to get stopped more, frisked more, arrested more, and serve more time in jail and on stiffer charges- - - than if you were a White citizen.   (Selah)

Thom Hartman is right to a degree when he says current stock market prices don’t represent the true values of businesses.  All of the economic statistics are rigged and jimmied - - and only the short term is thought of.  Remember these CEO’s who get paid in stocks, have every incentive to artificially jack up the price of their own stocks.  And these people are also the ultimate as far as “inside information” goes.  If there is trouble brewing that only an insider at this time can see- - - they’ll be the first to bail out.  They have a golden parachute.  You won’t.  One term you hear on Ring of Fire a lot is “Worse than the Mafia”.  A lot of things are worse than the mafia these days but prime among them are these banksters.  These Big Banks, unlike Mafia dons, are “too big to jail” and so on their merry way year after year.  What the Federal Reserve itself has done lately is bizarre- - pumping literally billions supposedly “into the economy” but we don’t see a penny of it.   Of course we could talk about the FDA - - food and drug administration, keeping good and natural substances off the market but on the other hand peddeling poisons into our system.  It’s all a giant drug promoting money making racket.

The Federation has gone ahead and hired a Taccoman as Minister of Propaganda.  I had asked them about it yesterday and they hadn’t made a decision yet but were still deliberating.  Today they’ve made a decision and he will officially take office tomorrow.  What this means for me and other “earth people” is that our interests will be more catered to.  Also there will be some kind of public campaign to make them more “space alien” conscious.  So, look for that one.

President Obama got his Nobel Peace Price on October the ninth of 2009 in one of the LEAST deserved awarding of the Nobel committee of all time!  Who bribed them?   This came just over three months after the June 28^th 2009 coup in Honduras where a progressive government was thrown out and an ultra rightist dictatorship was installed.  One blogger insists that Obama and Hillary had something to do with this.  How did President Obama get that Peace award and what the hell did he accomplish to get it?   Any award that starts being handed out for no reason at all inherently is cheapened in the process.  I would hope that doesn’t happen to the Nobel Peace prize.  Then of course Obama and NATO bombed the hell out of Libya destabilizing their government and eventually destroying it and allowing anarchy to reign supreme.  President Obama hyped up the image of the “Islamic Brotherhood” you don’t hear too much about any more- - just as in turn Obama was hyped to death in the 2004 Democratic convention- - giving one of one of the most vacuous speeches of all time.  In fact even President Obama’s 2008 acceptance speech was frustratingly devoid of substance, if you’ve heard it.

Republican Houses passes Clean D H S Bill

Theologians are mostly full of bullshit.  Wouldn't it be interesting if there were proof one day or the other is what partisans call "Out Historic Christian Heritage"

Sean Hannity might not like it but the House passed a "Clean" Homeland Security bill today that will run through the end of September.  Not only that but CNN says this bill is new and expanded, to meet today's Homeland Security problems.  This is a good thing.  The reason why is that John Boehner must have had a change of heart and put this "Clean bill" before the full House, which passed it, and no doubt the President will be signing the thing in a day or two.  Of course Ruch Limbaugh and company say "This is just typical weakness of the Republicans, who are always backing down.  Actually it's not that common, in fact it's pretty rare for Boehner to "soften" like this and be compliant with the wishes of the Majority of the body.  But CNN says "Of course there is everything else the Republicans to pick a fight about".

The Forengi have a saying “War is good for Business”.  Of course being the optimists they are they also have another saying, “Peace is good for Business”.   But the NASDAC is now over five thousand for only the second time and the highest it’s been since the year 2000.   This was that famed “dot com” bubble.  The Dow Jones Industrials is at new highs now at something like 18,250.   So if you’re bullish on America now, you’re making money.  War really seems to be good for business, and Sean Hanniity says we might be headed for a nuclear war.  I’m glad Sean Hannity showed clips of Netenyahoo’s speech because it saved me having to watch the whole thing.   According to various democrats including the President, “Absolutely nothing new was said in this speech”.  This wasn’t a speech to “inform” congress of anything; it was strictly red meat for the political base.  Many democrats boycotted including Nancy Pelosi.  John Lewis made critical remarks about the speech.  And Obama’s voice had a hard edge to it you only hear according to Rush, when he’s really angry and trying to tamp it down.   Rush Limbaugh claims that the Obama administration said it was OK for Iran to build a nuclear bomb “If they promise not to use it for ten years” or something.  It was September of 2012 that Netenyahoo gave his “red lines” speech at the UN saying that Iran was months away from having a nuclear weapon and they’d definitely have an operational weapon next summer.  (Which would have been 2013)  This whole “any day now” like of the Israeli prime minister gets really old repeated year after year.  He kept saying “Israel’s survival is at stake”.   Israel’s survival will never be truly threatened as long as they have their Uncle Sugar, the United States- - offering them an endless stream of blank checks.  It would be interesting just to see what Israel could do on its own- - and not the six year old bratty kid who says “My daddy is gona get you” to bullies.  But there is a glaring fact Sean Hannity is missing.  “What, just one?”  Iran is in a gold fish bowl now.  It had nuclear inspectors crawling all over that country.  It’s ringed with US military bases, just as Russia is ringed with US military bases.  It’s hard to believe that Iran could get away with so much as sneasing out of turn.  Remember that Israel is the one with the Nuclear bomb.  But Iran is the signatory to the non proliferation treaty.  Israel is not.  I can’t get certain images out of my head, such as the Mossad saying that Iran had no Nukes and would not be having Nukes, but this report was suppressed, because it doesn’t comport with the air of paranoia that Israel wants to convey to the world.  I can’t get the image of a couple weeks back of Israel savagely and ruthlessly attacking the SS Liberty, a US spy ship, and the United States did nothing about it by way of retaliation.  And Israel was counting on the fact that the US wouldn’t retaliate.  I can’t get the image out of my head of Israel bombing the people of Gaza back to the stone age last summer.  And yet we’re supposed to all love Israel because they are a democracy.  Well, the Confederate States were a democracy, too.  And we went to war with them.  If “God” for lack of a better term- - thinks I need a “change of heart” twords Israel, then surprise me with good news I didn’t know.  Sean Hannity said “Take a look and you know deep down that Netenyahoo was right in his speech today.  In a fit of spontenaity early this morning I actually prayed that “I hope Netenyahoo’s speech gives Glory to God”.  I don’t know why I prayed that.  Ask me about Israel when I’ve had a better day.  You see I’d like to think of Judahism as “something other than the religion that hates Islam”.   And I would say the same thing of Islam.  Israel has some wonderful things.  They have a European style democracy.  They have all these religious sites that pilgrims from all over the world come to see and presumably be inspired by and who knows - - perhaps even being closer to God.   They have all this marvelous medical research and crop irrigation, and a symphony orchestra.  Do they deserve a medal for that?  I’m just not feeling a lot of love for Israel at this point.

Norman Goldman says that peace with the Palestinians on the West Bank is obtainable because the leaders such as Abass, Goldman pronounces as “reasonable”.  I’ll defer to his judgement.  Of course if labor wins the Israeli elections in just two weeks- - then Peace with the West Bank is as likely as it’s ever been.  Considering the fact of the settlements and building that wall in West Bank territory, the fact that the West Bank wants to talk at all is a miracle.  I find it troubling that Netenyahoo is going to use this footage before our Congress as some sort of a backdrop for a campaign commercial seems, in Goldman’s words “a bit unseemly”.   In terms of Iran - - President Obama has stated “There IS no deal with Iran right now, and if Iran doesn’t follow through with their promises to us, there WILL BE no deal.  That sounds reasonable.  It bothers me if that darker scenario is at all true in that Netenyahoo secretly WANTS the deal to fail and in fact WANTS war, perhaps as an excuse to use all of those Nukes in their arsenal.

In terms of this LAPD skid row shooting thing some new facts have emerged.  The bystanders’ concencus was that the police “over reacted” by shooting and killing the guy.  We have certain “normal images” of police and guns.  With TV we are used to see the criminals with guns, too and threatening and hiding out in the bushes, and firing back.  All five shots in this case were fired by the LAPD.   I didn’t know that when I first watched the video.  I wasn’t sure what was happening.  We are used to cops facing dangerous desperados and drug dealers like with Miami Vice and things.  Thirty or forty years ago we were used to the police facing dangerous criminals, not homeless drunks, who are hiding out in a make-shift tent.  We are told the guy was “taking swings at the police” and the police produced individual shadowy frame stills, demonstrating to their satisfaction that the guy was going after the officer’s gun.  There was even a report that one of the officers was missing his weapon.  A lot of this stuff no doubt goes on all the time, and always has.  But it’s just that we didn’t see it because there weren’t all of these handy videos floating around in the old days, thirty or forty years ago.

I don’t see the problem with Hillary using a “Personal E mail account” for her official government E mails.  I don’t know what is “regular’ and what is “irregular policy”.  All we are told now is that “Hillary is in the hot seat after Bombshell revelations”.   I know that they are trying to “Bengazi” Hillary to death.  Keep in mind that countless comgressional committees have exhonorated officials of the Obama administration in this matter.  But those people on the right like Rush and Hannity like to pretend that these “findings of fact” never existed.  Nobody wants to coronate her as Queen Hillary the first.  Of course we want her to face the fire of campaign opposition and investigation.  But there is such a desperation in the sort of things the republicans are bringing up- - like trying to breathe new life into the Monica Luinsky thing.

Let’s jump to the soap opera and today’s lesson in life which is “Sometimes making peace with your foes just doesn’t work”.   For instance Sonny wanted independent confirmation that his “husband” Will was telling him the truth about all his interractions with Paul.  He was telling him the truth.  But that no longer mattered.  He said he needed to get away by himself and “think things over” so he is taking off to Arizona to see his brother Alex and enjoy the warm climate.  Nicole tried to make nice with Maxine, who gave her the cold shoulder telling her “deliver the gift yourself.  I’m not going to be played as a means of your getting your claws back into Dr Jonas.   The conversation with Serena went in a similar vein.  Nicole said nothing offensive, but Serena took offence at virtually every sentence she said.  Then we have Jennifer bursting in on Eve Larsen and her son making love.  Jennifer pretty much read Eve the riot act.  It’s one thing to believe an individual is total slime.  It’s another thing to have proof beyond your wildest nightmares.  I don’t know whether Eve feels utterly disgusted with herself or not.  Does Eve have a conscience at all?   Then we have Serena, Melanie, Parker and the elephant statue.  So are you going to snatch a toy out of a little boy’s hands?   Is Serena that cold?  

The Eyes of Israel Are Upon You

That's kind of a paraphrase of a 26 year old song, "The Eyes of Texas are Upon You".   Ever noticed (it's in one of those "Secrets" books) that when Mickey Mouse in those old cartoons ever looks in one direction to the left or to the right- - his ears never move but are always in the straight ahead position?  We move on to this Star Trek episode where Kirk and the gang have been captured by this joker in some eighteenth century style ornate French residence.  And there is recoco harpsichord playing and ornate designs, and the guy is decked out in the cocked hat and frilly clothes.  But he's always "pulling stuff" on the Star Trek crew- - and Kirk gets the distinct impression the guy can't win in a fair fight and says things like "You know- - you've got a lot to Learn - - about a Lot of things".  But then Kirk discovers that he's always in the presence of this giant mirror and deduces that he's somehow getting his power from this big mirror, so he shoots the thing out, and naturally this joker is furious at him.  We now move to the US and Israel.  There is talk of Sean Hannity of "standing shoulder to shoulder with Israel".  But even if I wanted to be a friend to someone, or even my wife, I would not want to be the other half of a Siamese Twin joined with her, assuming that were even genetically possible.  I don't want to be so "Joined at the hip" with an Allay that our fates are so intertwined that- - if They are Emboldened because of all the help we give them- - they make all these enemies like with Iran, Syria, and Russia.  So the US takes on all the wrath of the common people that had been formerly directed just at Israel.  We hear things like "Don't touch the Lord's annointed" and when a preacher says this most often he is not speaking of his fellow members of the church congregation, fellow Christian, but rather speaks of the Nation of Israel.  Some would say "No President has ever hated Israel the way the Obama administration has".  Let's look at this claim,  John Kerry or somebody recently that we have intervened on Israel's behalf over two hundred times in the past several years!   If some Powerful Force had intervened on MY behalf "several hundred times' in the past few years, people might rightfully say of me "The trouble is with you Marcus is that you've been leading a charmed life".  But if there is one thing I don't want to do is to be known as "Fighting against God's Divine Providence".  You never win battles with God.  Some might look at my life and say "Well you didn't land that big job several years sooner than your fondest expectations.  You didn't get the girl of your dreams and "Live happily ever after" with three perfect children who went on to accomplish greater things than you did".  It didn't happen.  Some, knowing me and my background might say to me, "Well Marcus it's absolutely Silly to ever EXPECT that the Lord would ever DO such a thing for you.  Just look at your life!"   But if you're Israel- - you have this "I can do no wrong" glow about you or "annointing" or what have you.  With others, blacks, Mexicans, Asians- - - if you get in an argument with them most likely they won't play the Race Card because they know your particular conflict has nothing to do with Race.  But can Jewish people make the same claim?   I mean- - Dr Levy is a good guy and everything but on certain issues he's just a little- - shallow.  And he's constantly touting this "Israel can do no wrong" line.  It's like you'd better "Watch it' or you'll get wished into the corn field or something.  At times you're not sure how to act around them.  Now Congress has invited Netenyahoo to address their body tomorrow.  Tomorrow March 3rd will thus be a big day in American History.  If the leader were from a less important nation such as England or France, or Mexico or Japan or Canada- - nobody would much care.  The event would go un noted in the anals of history.  But Israel- - well, that's a horse of a different color.  Even Dianne Feinstein said she'd be there and no doubt hanging on every word.  I have no idea how the meeting tomorrow will go.  I know that Netenyahoo resents the Hell out of the Obama administration for not meeting with him in one of these diplomatic State Dinners at the White House, which they have so many of.  We'll just all have to wait and see.  But somehow it's like "Israel is watching us" just waiting to be offended at the first vagueness of a hint we are less than one hundred percent gung ho for Israel.  That's my take on the whole thing anyhow.  You have your oppinion - - and that's what makes a horse race.

(Reuters) - Iran must commit to a verifiable freeze of at least 10 years on sensitive nuclear activity for a landmark atomic deal to be reached, but the odds are still against sealing a final agreement, U.S. President Barack Obama told Reuters on Monday. Interviewed at the White House, Obama moved to dial back tensions over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's planned speech to Congress on Tuesday opposing the Iran deal, saying it was a distraction that would not be "permanently destructive" to U.S. Israeli ties. But he strongly criticized Netanyahu's stance and stressed there was a "substantial disagreement" between them over how to achieve their shared goal of preventing Israel's arch foe from acquiring nuclear weapons. Talks between major powers and Iran to restrict Tehran's nuclear capabilities in exchange for an easing of sanctions have reached a critical stage ahead of an end of March deadline for a framework deal and a June 30 date for a final agreement.

There is a video of a cop shooting of a man on "skid row" they are now promoting on Eye Witness News.  They claim the guy was reaching for an officer's gun.  I saw the video.  Of course if you don't want to hear the word "Mother Fucker" uttered over and over again, maybe you'd better not watch.  There were a lot of shots fired, and I imagine that every one of them were fired by LA police officers.

So if I were to say "What Republicans fear the most is the D Word" what word would you be thinking of?  Not democratic.  Not demogogary.  No.  The word in this case is "Deficet".  Norman Goldman rattled off a bunch of states and I pretty much "Got It" almost instantly, especially when our host kept dropping hints.  Still it was interested to hear the creative, but very wrong answers that callers gave to Goldman's posed question.  So what do certain states have in common?  The states are Washington, Virginia, Wisconsin, Illinois, Louisiana, Alabama, and Pennsylvania.  All of these states are suffering from deficets in excess of one billion with a B, dollars.  This includes Scott Walker's Wisconsin, and also New Jersey- - another state on the list.  How can Scott Walker stand there and say "I have turned the state of Wisconsin around" when clearly- - - Wisconsin's deficet is in excess of two billion dollars.  Kansas is also on that infamous list.  That's a lot of states with raging deficets.  Pennsylvania used to be totally run by Republicans except for the past couple of months.  How to you take a state from a surplus to a deficet and claim success.  Those on the right were hoping and praying they could come after California and Jerry Brown, but they can't because our state has a record budget surplus right now.  So if the democrats had any balls they'd make "liberal" use of the D word.  They should cram this deficet issue down Republican governor's throats at every oppertunity.  But for some reason democrats just don't know how to campaign, don't know how to fight.  If they did they would have won last year.  But of course two unforeseen things completely dominated the election cycle last year.  One was Ebola, and the other was ISIS.  And on both counts we heard a LOT more about both ISIS and Ebola BEFORE the November election, as opposed to afterward.  ISIS has only been around in its recognizable form since last June.  That isn't very long.  It just seems a lot longer period than that because we've had ISIS crammed down our collective throats- - nonestop - - by the "Drive by media".

In cosmic news the latest on the Taccomans, is that John Lennon has weighed in on the Taccoman issue and he's against it.  If you parse his words it seems to be an argument of "It's better to deal with the Devil we have and know (referring to the Federation) rather than the one we don't know".  John asked around for oppinions of others and Kurt Cobain agreed with John and put it in even stronger terms.  He said "I don't know what will happen if the Taccomans take over communacation- - I just know it's going to be really bad and we shouldn't allow it to happen".   That's the latest on that.  Mal Evans appreciates John Lennon's support.  On another matter- - the latest theory I have on "The day I was really born" is March 3rd.  I won't make all those arguments now- - but a whole lot of puzzle pieces fit for that day.  So I don't know how I really feel about being a Pisces.  A lot of people already say I'm swimming in two directions at once.

The Job of the Insurance Company Is To Rip You Off

Insurance companies are out to make money, just like Casinos.  To quote from war games “The only way to win is - - Not To Play”.   This is also true with insurance companies.  Much as you think you need health insurance, for instance, you would fare BETTER financially your whole life if you, for instance, just set aside a medical fund you put money into for for emergencies you could draw on in times of need.  This would hypothetically be also true for major disasters to your home like a flood or a hurricane.  If you don’t believe me- Sixty Minutes had a thing on Hurricane Sandy and the massive fraud involved with payments where people with homes formerly worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, got paid eighty thousand dollars and were pressured to sign something saying you’d settle for eighty thousand.  However legally if you sign something on known fraud or withholding of relevant facts, the signature is null and void.  This is what happened with Sixty Minutes.  The trained engineers examined these homes and marked out all of the extensive damage and the high estimates.  But then the insurance companies Changed these extensive and thorough reports- - and made them say what they weren’t saying.  And when these trained investigators- - saw the changes that had been made- - they were furious.  And the thing is that FEMA actually PAYS the insurance companies back for these disasters.  So it wasn’t even any skin of their own noses or financial accounts.  Rather it was just insurance companies being jerks as they always are.  They had a thing on lumber liquidators with these laminated floors with formaldehyde in the glue that is from thirteen to twenty times the legal limit of the state of California.  And congress in 2010 when the democrats still reigned supreme- - passed a law adopting the California standard.  So as of this year now there are official massive violations by Lumber Liquidators nationwide.  And of course Sixty Minutes went to these floor factories in China to see for themselves, and the head guy said that the safety notice on the packages was a lie- - and that this stuff was not “safe” and didn’t comply with either the California or national law.  OK now you know.  That third comedian guy just wants to fuck with all our minds and I have absolutely no idea where his head is at.

A lot of businesses think they must boost their opperating profit by "lowering production costs", even if it means using illegal suppliers.  This was the case of Lumber Liquidators.  Of course everything puts Greed first these days.  So locating off shore "lowers production costs" with slave wages in Shri Lanka and Viet Nam.  But also these right wingers believe that low wages are "good" for the overall economy because they "kick off the restraints" and "unleash the power of business".  Someone predicted that businesses would be closing down in Seattle if they boosted their minimum wages to fifteen dollars an hour.  But strangely this did not happen.  In fact even more new jobs opened up.  The democratic governor of Minnesota increased the minimum wages and enacted rules saying women get equal pay for equal work.  Now Minnesota has the fifth most vibrant economy in the country.  You have an almost unbroken record of failure doing it the republican's way by cutting taxes on the rich.  It failed under Johnson with exploding deficets.  It did the same thing under President Reagan when he tried it, and it did the same with President Bush when he slashed a whole host of taxes.  Each time we were assured wonderful things would happen.  Of course the Bush people assured us that wonderful things would happen if we toppled the Saddam Hussein government.  It was supposed to "free up the markets" and give us some kind of a libertarian paradise.  That did not happen.  But when it comes to economics (and a lot of other things) the Republicans can't be honest even one time.

  I watched “This Week” and then switched to “Meet the Press” and switched back and forth.  There was a lot of stuff with John Kerry discussing ISIS.  They both talked about the C-Pac convention, which Rand Paul won the straw poll on.  Of course Netenyahoo speaks before congress on Tuesday which will be here before you know it.  That guy Putin had gunned down steps from the Kremlin- - will be remembered in a demonstration tomorrow.  The shooter, who fired several times in the back, made his getaway in a white car.  They have replayed his post-mortum interview on TV saying he feared being killed.  Many Americans say Russia is now our “greatest enemy”.  ISIS people are smashing ancient relics in Syria, and sold some artifacts on the black market to raise money for their terrorism.  I meant to comment on this in yesterday’s blog posting but forgot.   Rain so far hasn’t materialized.  I received “The Week” magazine this week at the table.  I don’t think I ever received last week’s magazine issue.       Some have argued that Netenyahoo WANTS Israel to get into a shooting war with Iran so that Iran (and Syria) will hate the United States as much as they hate Israel.  Right now we have the solice that the Iranian people do not hate the United States citizens, only certain aspects of the government.  Netenyahoo wants to blow all that up under the presumed argument (logic) of “misery loves company”.  No thank you.  Some bloggers would say that despite the agreement we have with Iran now, our own government is “plotting” to blow up the treaty anyhow.  I read the thing and am not convinced.  We need to see this deal through Iran and see where it leads.

Rand Paul was top of the pool in C-Pac.  I looked at that for the dialogue between Sean Hannity and Jeb Bush.  Hannity “tinkled all over” Bush, so maybe there is “trickle down” after all.  He reconciled immigration and common core education.  Bush doesn’t want common core to go national.  He bragged about how many legislative bills he’s blue-lined with a Veto.   So if you saw what I saw, Jeb Bush came out looking pretty good.  I know that Rush Limbaugh was passionate in defense of Bush in 2000 and attacked Pat Buchannon mercilessly.   One wonders why?    Sean Hannity didn't have to go to the mat for Bush the way he did but he felt as though he needed to.  As though it were important to breathe life into the campaign of Jeb Bush even though he only ended up getting eight percent in the straw poll.  Of course with Pat Buchannon - - he used to idolize Adolph Hitler and the Nazi party.  Now he's turned his affections to Vladimir Putin.   Just as long as it's some corrupt despot to dote on.  I heard somewhere, perhaps from Pat, that the immigration rate in the United States between 1930 and 1960 was pretty close to zero, and Pat reminds us "we need time for the races to assimilate".   We need time to absorb the culture shock of all these outsiders.  It's kind of like an Evangelical Christian gathering.  You want outsiders there but not too many of them because there has to be a "critical mass" a point beyond which "You will be unable to pressure all of these outiders to conform to peer pressure".   Of course Pat Buchannon expressly stated he believed the "Testamony of the Grand Jury" in the Ferguson case.   It's those ten or twelve imaginary Black witnesses that back up Officer Wilson's story.  I've never seen them, heard them, or even heard their names, but according to people like Hannity and Buchannon, they exist.  We had Swiss steak for dinner with fluffy rice, tomato based sauce, and whole banana squash.  We had vanilla pudding for desert.   Owen never made it to the table.

I think you can say Balzac on the air- - that’s the composer or whoever.  But I’m not sure if you can say “ball sack” on the air but Stephanie just did.   And speaking of gravity - - some “voice” (Lennard Nemoy?) suggested I “simplify” my explanation of what was happening.  So let me correct that.  You might want to have that paragraph out and look at it and take notes.  Because you see- - it’s all not just about circles.  The gravity “field” turns into an ellipse- - when you accelerate with respect to another object.  When it comes to certain LIGHT properties- - - what you see is indeed in the eye of the bee holder, or is that beholder?  You must always keep this in your mind because your own gravity field with respect to Yourself- - is always round.  Capish?   So what does it mean when the “line” or border of the ellipse is close to the “center point” of gravity?  This means that the gravity field is week, ie doesn’t extend out very far.  If that “line” is way far away, like the end of an elipse- - then the gravity field is very strong.  I’m saying this because it’s easy to fall into a mental trap or an “image trap” of thinking of planetary orbits where the portion of the ellipse is under a greater gravity field close to the “center”.  Do NOT fall into this mental trap!   To be honest we erred slightly on that previous posting because the circle represents the “event horizon”.  So you might want to mentally scratch out “field” from your mind and put in “event horizon”.  Not to complicate things even more but “what you see” optically- - is with the “coarse” medium of light.  Commander Data spoke of having “poitronic circuits”.   The problem is that the positron exists only in the laboratory for a few seconds.  It does not exist in nature.   A proton consists of two “up” quarks and one “down” quark, if I’m not mistaken.  But that would mean that a “Negatron” or three quarks of one UP and two DOWN quarks, each at one third atomic mass - and said negatron (with positrons orbiting it) would make up anti-matter, which the Star Trek people love to talk about at length.  The problem with science fiction is that they can refer to things as common place that do not exist?   So CAN God produce “anti matter”?   The answer may be “Yes, but he’s not stupid enough to do it”.   But remember we said light was a “coarse” medium, expecially with subatomic particles.  So you can “see” a lot of stuff optically that “just isn’t so” such as mirrored matter, or matter that appears to move backwards, ect”   People talk about apparent mass increase (to infinity no less) at the speed of light.   But when you are traveling at the speed of light- - the gravity field, just like with optics, turns into a parabola.   You asked “In English, what does that mean?”  It means that the gravity “field” goes on forever to infinity in a certain direction.   And from there it turns into a hyperbola.   You ask “OK what does THAT mean?”  It means - - for objects getting farther away from you - - - there is no “far side” continuity.  And this “breech” of the line- - is what causes gravity reversal and not CROSSING the line as we previously said.  Remember this- - the “field line” is the Event Horizon.  You just Don’t and Can’t cross this line.  This whole translucent bubble metaphor- - works fine for Optics but not to describe a gravitational field.   For us to imply that you could in that previous posting was in ERROR.  Any time you hear me say "far side" of an elipse or parabola- - it means things you are running away FROM.  Since there IS no "far side" of a hyperbola - (we are referring to a line that goes on forever in both directions with a sharp turn or bend in it in the middle) - - it means all those "arrows going in tword said object" aren't there.  Therefore the ONLY G forces are going the other way.  So gravity still reverses, but by a different graphic illustration than we previously gave.   In English that means if you are CHASING an object and the object is MORE than the speed of light ahead of you -  - there is a “repel” field with respect to that object.   Einstein once said “If you are smart enough- - even the most complicated things can be explained in simple terms”.  Unfortunately I’m not that smart.  So I find it necessary to resort to all of this verbiage to adequately explain this all to you.